It is a nightmare scenario that freezes the Web-savvy Internet surfer from taking out his credit card and punching the online order button. Regardless of the attractiveness of the features on the Web site or the tons of text that describe the company’s claim to legitimacy, hovering in the user’s mind is a fog of questions that won’t dissipate until, days or weeks later, the product thatwas chosen from the virtual shopping mall is delivered to his doorstep in its concrete offline form, real-time: “How do I know this company is legitimate? Will I really get my money’s worth? Can I trust the people behind the site not to use my personal information to spam me or worse, sell it to the next bidder?”

Respected U.S. Web sites that have withstood the test of time and the occasional hacker, like Amazon. com, are usually viewed to possess a certain measure of security. But to the average Filipino company Web site that represents a small enterprising entrepreneur at its back-end, the atypical Filipino consumer at the other side of the online interface displays some bit of hesitation. That doubt is the proverbial cork that stops the Philippine e-commerce industry from really soaring.

It all boils down to a question of trust—and Sure Seal, the first Philippine trust mark, addresses this concern by providing a service that verifies the authenticity and legitimacy of a company that has a Web presence and/or an Internetbased firm that promotes products and services. The firms that pass their rigorous check get a stamp of approval on their Web site, the Sure Seal mark, which in effect signals to the Pinoy consumer that it’s okay to do business with them.

Check on a U.S.-based Web site that has been allowing or conducting transactions that are above board and credible, and they usually have the logo of a Better Bureau or Verisign on their Home Page. Sure Seal aims to do the same with their Philippine counterparts.

“It’s the element of trust that converts visitors or viewers of a Web site into active buyers or shoppers,” points out Jovel Cipriano, Sure Seal’s VP for Marketing. “Identity trust marks like the ones in the U.S. validate that you are who you say you are.

Privacy trust marks verify that the statements in your privacy policy are accurate. Security trust marks certify that there are no vulnerabilities in the security of your network that can be exploited by outsiders.”

The Birth of the Pinoy Trust Mark

Cipriano says, “All of us Sure Seal founders are e-commerce players and are former and/or present officers of the Philippine Internet Commerce Society. Over time we had seen a lot of fradulent transactions. Flyby night competitors who are not even manufacturers would set up shop. They’d offer products to the customer but, once paid, they would not deliver. At that time, it was difficult to detect who the real owner of a Web site was. This prompted us to start a verification process which will enable us—and the consumer—to weed out the legitimate from those who are not.”

At the same time, he outlines the enormity of the potential market to the entrepreneur who would like to make his Web site a powerful tool to develop loyal shoppers who could be persuaded to make an online transaction. He says, “Studies show that a trust mark increases online sales by 10 percent. This happens when customers know and recognize that you are a legitimate business that is authenticated by a trusted third party. Filipinos have already begun to do online purchase—most of them are cellphone loads, DVDs, flowers, and pasalubongs for overseas Filipinos who are coming home.”

He believes that these transactions are just a tip of the iceberg:
“The Philippines has been ranked as the top 18th country with the highest number of internet users—we have about 27 million of them in the country. As of two years ago, four out of 10 people choose to spend time on the Net, which is the same amount of people who prefer to watch TV. The remaining two out of 10 people are the ones who listen to the radio or read something on print.”

Third Party Assessor

To receive the trust mark that can swing a Pinoy fence-sitter into an active shopper, a company or even a freelancer would be required to submit certain documents such as a mayor’s permit or BIR approval that Sure Seal would assess with the assistance of the concerned government authorities.

Applicants must also pay in a check that is addressed to their name. Sure Seal also makes an ocular inspection of the brick and mortar office of the site.

Finally, the online entrepreneur must adhere to a privacy policy that is a Web public statement assuring the online customers that any data they submit will be protected and not be used in a fraudulent manner.

Because Sure Seal is part of the International Consumers Advisory Network, an across-the-board resolution network, even customers from othercountries who are part of that body can have an avenue to be heard if they feel that they had been short-shrifted. Cipriano gives an example, “If a U.S. consumer thinks he has been cheated by a Filipino company, he can raise the issue through the network, and Sure Seal as the cross-border partner will address it, monitor it, and refer it to the right agency like the Department of Trade and Industry and the National Bureau of Investigation.”

Sure Seal as a third-party assessor also has been accredited by the Asia-Pacific Trademark Alliance. As of this interview, Cipriano says that a representative from the U.S. State Department in charge of data privacy is networking with the group and looking at the possibility of appointing them as their accountability agents in the Asia-Pacific.

Initial reaction has been positive, such as the endorsement of the Commission on Information Communications Technology and the patronage of the buy-and-sell Web site www.sulit.com.ph. Not surprisingly, IT companies are the first to recognize the need for a trust mark, and Cipriano expresses his hope that industries such as the travel agencies would follow suit.

He says, “There are about 500,000 Filipino corporate Web sites out there. Our goal is to build consumer confidence in them. We want consumers to be confident in buying from a Filipino Web site.”

For more info, click on www.sureseal.ph.